


the future looks bright (let's hit the kill switch)

by obstinateRixatrix



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Post-A Better World, lucio's in chapter two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-11 22:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/pseuds/obstinateRixatrix
Summary: “What do you know about Vishkar,” Symmetra demands.“I’m a little busy here, I don’t exactly have a slideshow on-hand for you—”“But you have proof of their plans?”Sombra scoffs. What kind of question is that? A bad one. She’s gotterabytesof dirt on her right now, not including stuff she’s stashed in some contingency bunkers scattered around the world. But, as insulting as it is, being so severely underestimated works out pretty well. “If it’s proof you want, that’s easy. You can see it for yourself... if you get me to the top floor.”Sombra waits for the inevitable explosion from Vishkar’s number one fan, but weirdly enough, Symmetra actually hesitates. “Then,” she says, “you will show it to me.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know 'sombra/satya teams up against vishkar' is a pretty standard symbra scenario but one night I went into some kind of fugue state & drafted an outline between 1-4 in the morning so here I am
> 
> for desktop, hover for translations; for mobile, tap for translations
> 
> thanks molly & lex for the once-over!

Hard light is a pain to deal with. A hard light building is a _huge_ pain to deal with. It isn’t impossible to hack— nothing is, not for Sombra— but it’s tricky and tedious and not even fun, especially since architects can just change the entire layout of a floor on a whim.

Ugh. Architects.

So, instead of a hallway leading to a teleporter, which should’ve been there according to schematics that were perfectly up to date five minutes ago, there’s a wall. A wall she’s going to have to hack into a door. Or something.

Just as she’s gearing up to do that, Sombra catches a glimpse of a certain someone headed her way from the security feed. Usually that means it’s time to amp up the stealth, but seeing who it is… if she can sell the right angle, it could make her job much easier.

She probably can’t. She’ll probably make her job _much_ harder than it needs to be, but at least she’d get some fun out of it.

Sombra fusses with the wall, ready to be caught red-handed by Symmetra as she turns the corner and freezes in place. No doubt she’s taken aback by the sudden appearance of a suspicious intruder. “You are…”

“I am... a ghost,” Sombra says. Not too far off brand, considering she’s got her sugar skull icon projected over her face. “Boo.”

“Don’t play games with me,” Symmetra snaps, raising her photon projector in an extremely threatening way. She’s clearly experienced with how to use it. On people. “I know who you are, Sombra.”

“You do?” Sombra puts a hand to her chest, exaggerated shock plastered over her face.“¡Me halaga! But while I’d love to stay and chat, there’s some pretty interesting things I’m here to dig up about your employers. Boy, if you knew what they’re planning for Rio...”

A moment of hesitation. Promising. Then, “Tell me.”

“Hm?”

“What do you know about Vishkar,” Symmetra demands.

“I’m a little busy here, I don’t exactly have a slideshow on-hand for you—”

“But you have proof of their plans?”

Sombra scoffs. What kind of question is that? A bad one. She’s got _terabytes_ of dirt on her right now, not including stuff she’s stashed in some contingency bunkers scattered around the world. But, as insulting as it is, being so severely underestimated works out pretty well. “If it’s proof you want, that’s easy. You can see it for yourself... if you get me to the top floor.”

Sombra waits for the inevitable explosion from Vishkar’s number one fan, but weirdly enough, Symmetra actually hesitates. “Then,” she says, “you will show it to me.”

“You sure?” Sombra asks, covering up the fact that she really didn’t expect Symmetra to fall for it hook, line, and sinker. She’s either more gullible than she looks, or less loyal. “Ignorance is bliss, you know.”

Well, for everyone else.

Symmetra doesn’t say anything— just offers a grim, stiff nod.

“Works for me. Lead the way, Ms. Vaswani.”

 

* * *

 

It’s much easier with Symmetra leading the way; she knows the new layout of the floor, which doesn’t actually matter that much since she can just move stuff around and make doors without a fuss. Much less work.

The top floor is where the head of the Rio project is set up, who’s… well, he’s really just some guy. Lucas Machado. It’s not important. What _is_ important is that he’s pretty sloppy at covering up his dealings with a certain terrorist group, and is also pretty visible with how controversial the Rio project’s been (thanks Lúcio). All it’ll take is a little push for him to be knocked off the chessboard. Basically she just needs to scramble the pieces a bit and see if that gets someone more in the know to clean up the mess because Machado? Completely useless. To her, at least.

Sombra puts up a few screens filled with development plans, schedules, and a few choice correspondences. It’s whatever. While Symmetra’s distracted by all that old news, Sombra uploads something that’ll let her record Machado’s next talk with Talon, which should happen sometime in the next few days. It’ll be more than enough to get him put under some kind of investigation.

In any case, she’s all set. “You wanted proof, here it is,” Sombra says. “If you don’t believe me—”

“I believe you.”

Sombra bites back her first reaction, making a sound of vague interest instead of legitimate shock. Where’s the suspicion? Where’s the stubborn insistence that Vishkar’s amazing, incredible, can do no wrong?

“They really did plan to burn the favela. They were never going to help those who lived there.” Symmetra lets out a harsh breath. “What ‘better world’ is this?”

“That’s what caught your eye? Not the Talon stuff?”

“... I had my suspicions,” she admits, reluctantly. “I told myself it was a line Vishkar would not cross. I was wrong.”

“Ay, pobrecita ,” Sombra offers, shaking her head. Maybe a little condescending, but it’s not entirely insincere; poor thing stuck all her self-righteous eggs in the wrong basket. “So what are you going to do?”

“What I should have done a long time ago. I’m leaving.”

At that, Sombra lets out an incredulous laugh. “You think Vishkar’s just going to let Symmetra walk out?”

“Don’t call me that,” she snaps.

Sombra raises her hands, backing off on that front. Touchy. “I’m just saying, you’re their star architect. Their pride and joy! No manchez, they’ve sunk too much time and money into you just to let you go.”

“Then take responsibility,” she demands. “Help me.”

¿Que?

“Help me escape and I will help with whatever plans you have for Machado,” Satya Vaswani says, and there probably should’ve been some negotiation involved before she laid it out like a done deal.

It’s not like Sombra needs help. Phase one? Done. Phase two? Easy. Too many cooks spoil the soup, ella pasa de lanza. There’s really nothing stopping her from leaving Satya behind.

She doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took most of Sombra's spanish interjections from [her wiki page](https://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Sombra/Quotes), hopefully the one I didn't works but let me know if it should be fixed
> 
> hover text is from [La_Temperanza](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10957056)
> 
> originally I wanted to add in a reference to like... a 'boo!' equivalent in telugu or urdu but I searched google & asked my roommate & the closest equivalent we found was. the clank of bangles. but then it'd be like 'boo! or is it [jingle jingle]’ which just did not work. anyway the conversation went from ghosts in india to filipino ghosts and yknow there's a lot of backwards feet? anyway I've always shied away from overwatch fanfic because canon's a little messy and I'm definitely going to kind of... swerve around it... ish... hope you enjoy it anyway????


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eternally grateful to air for helping me figure out Politics, as well as to liz and molly for the once over! also also super appreciate QU for info on Portuguese stuff, plus the anon & helios' friends for answering questions about Spanish slang. had a little trouble with coding and la_temperanza managed to talk me though it. basically I Have Been Helped By Many People In My Life
> 
> there's a bit more... figurative/cultural stuff that might need notes so I'll stick those at the bottom

Sombra doesn’t take Satya to one of her more permanent hideouts right away. After all, there’s still a pretty good chance this could be some elaborate reverse-trap setup considering just how easy it’s been. A couple decades of corporate loyalty isn’t something that disappears overnight— ¡miras los dientes! So they go to one of her satellite workshops, which is outfitted with the bare minimum to get some work done. She’ll clear it out afterwards just to be safe.

“Why are you doing this?” Satya asks, as Sombra tinkers with her prosthetic.

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vishkar put a tracker in this thing. Because they did. And now it’s gone.” Sombra sets the outer paneling back in place. It reactivates with a soft glow— a nice lavender instead of Vishkar’s signature blue or weird gross purple. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Satya says instead of showing any gratitude whatsoever. She makes an interesting face at the color change, but apparently her train of thought takes priority over any gripe she might have about Sombra’s aesthetics. “Targeting corruption, exposing secrets… what are your plans?”

“Right now, it’s to get Machado fired.”

“How did you know of his connections to Talon?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I work with them.”

Satya clenches her fist, and for a second it looks like she might be gearing up to punch Sombra in the face. With her metal hand. But she doesn’t. Which is a pretty interesting reaction. Instead, she says, “Of course you do.”

“Keep it to yourself, will you? Not that it really matters. Who are you going to tell?” There’s nothing that actually links Sombra to Talon; she’d be a pretty terrible hacker if she couldn’t cover her own trail. If Satya tries to go public, it’d be treated as trashy tabloid conspiracy. If she goes back to Vishkar… well, that’s looking less and less likely. “What’s with the third degree, anyway?”

“It’s only natural to be curious.” Satya can’t hide the sharp, clearly aggrieved glare she shoots towards Sombra. Or maybe she doesn’t try to. She’s not so good at the people thing, huh. “I’d like to know about the person I’ve indebted myself to.”

“Is that so?” Sombra says. Honestly, she figured this was a ‘team up then use it for future blackmail’ type of relationship, not whatever Satya’s making it sound like. Isn’t she supposed to be the high-strung fresa type? Blah blah order blah blah perfection, everything has to be sleek and fancy and just so and follow these rules or get a laser to the face. It’s probably killing her to associate with a degenerate criminal, no way can she be implying that this is some kind of long-term arrangement where they get to _know_ each other.

“Headlines paint you as an ally to the people, yet your work with Talon clearly contradicts such noble intentions. Is it hypocrisy? Deception? Part of some grand scheme? Whose side are you truly on?”

Ah, she’s just being judgmental.

It’s a tough question to answer. Obviously Sombra has an answer (she has several depending on who she’s talking to) and Satya’s definitely the type to look down on any answer that isn’t some bullshit about the greater good. But the thing is, there’s no point in giving the ‘right’ answer because Sombra doesn’t care enough to fake it.

“I’m on my side,” Sombra says. “Got a problem with that?”

Satya sighs. “I have spent much of my life taking orders from people who have had a hidden agenda. At this point, any modicum of transparency is refreshing,” she says, in a tone that sounds like what she _really_ wants to say is ‘your answer sucks and so do you’. “Regardless, I will help you with your plans for Machado as promised. What must I do?”

Sombra grins, because boy, Satya’s going to _hate_ this. “You’re going to help me make a call.”

 

* * *

 

“If it isn’t my good pal Lúcio Correia dos Santos! ¿Me extrañaste?”

“Oh. It’s you,” is his dispassionate response.

“Now, is that any way to treat an old friend?”

“That’s what you are, huh.” Lúcio scoffs; Sombra can practically hear him roll his eyes. “Alright, what do you want.”

“Stop being so cold, haven’t we helped each other before?”

“That was before I knew you were in with Talon!”

“Lighten up, will you? I’m off the clock.” But, as fun as it is to mess with Lúcio, Sombra should probably get to the point before he gets fed up and hangs up. “I’ve got some pretty good dirt on Vishkar, you know.”

“Well if you’re off the clock, I guess everything’s fine,” he says with pointed sarcasm. “Whatever you’re selling, I ain’t buying. How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

“Come on, ¡no le saques!”

“Oh, so you _don’t_ want me to get it?” Lúcio asks, very clearly leaning into their language difference just to be annoying.

“Don’t be a _coward_.” Sombra’s not about to get into another argument about what words mean, especially since he’s definitely doing this on purpose. “Seriously, I wouldn’t bother with you if I didn’t have something big. If you don’t believe me, I’ve got someone that might change your mind...”

“dos Santos,” Satya says right on cue, looking like she’s swallowed a lemon.

There’s a moment of silence.

“Really,” he says. “She’s the one who’s gonna change my mind. Oh yeah, this totally isn’t a trap.” Then, with the fakest sounding cheer anyone could possibly manage, “Hey Symmetra! Man, I didn’t know Vishkar’s in with Talon.”

“Satya Vaswani,” she corrects. “And they are.”

“...What?”

“Vishkar has been funding Talon operations. In light of this development, among others, I have decided to resign.”

“I knew it!” Lúcio shouts. “Oh, that company is _evil!”_

“And here I thought it’d be news to you,” Sombra says, replaying a choice voice clip from two seconds ago.

“That was banter, this is _business_. What’ve you got?”

“Our friend Machado’s working out some negotiations with a certain terrorist organization,” Sombra starts. “It would sure be quite the scandal if someone got a recording of it. Think of all the damage control! With Vishkar’s plans for Rio falling apart, your little rebellion would get quite an edge, wouldn’t it?”

Unfortunately, Lúcio’s too smart to jump on-board immediately. “What’s the catch?”

“Why would there be a catch? All I’m asking for is a little cooperation.” Sombra pulls up one of his screens for him because it’s just a lot faster to do everything herself. She opens an article, highlighting the headline. “Vishkar’s public conference is happening later this week. The perfect time to cause a ruckus, ¿no?”

“Like they’d even let me get through the front door,” Lúcio points out.

“Hey, I could get you in, easy. But I don’t have to, because we’ve got Vishkar’s ex-star architect on our side.”

“I will cooperate,” Satya says through gritted teeth. Helpful as always.

“All you have to do is bust in and be loud, grab everyone’s attention. You’re good at that, right?”

“You want me to be the decoy.”

Well, he’s not wrong; if the recording gets dropped on its own, there’s a good chance people might start to talk about the possibility that maybe Sombra’s involved. Which wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it’d be a little inconvenient to get Talon on her case about playing nice with one of their sponsors. Having Lúcio as a big flashy distraction gives everyone a little tunnel vision, which is pretty useful.

But, by his tone of voice, he still needs a little convincing.

“Vishkar thinks they’re invincible. They think everyone around them is an ant to step on,” Sombra says, because nothing gets Lúcio fired up like hating on Vishkar. “Isn’t it time someone knocked them down a peg?”

“Then what about the ants?” Satya interrupts, completely derailing the pitch.

“Uh, it’s a metaphor—”

“What of the victims? What will you do to help them once you expose Vishkar’s crimes?” Satya pushes Sombra aside, bringing up a bunch of completely unnecessary information to everyone’s screens. “Vishkar has taken steps to increase dependency on its role in the city’s infrastructure, especially regarding public transportation. People rely on these services.”

“So what, are you saying we shouldn’t take them down?” Lúcio challenges. Órale, the point is to get him on their side, not drive him off!

“So we should make sure the city can continue operation regardless of Vishkar’s whims,” Satya continues. “Inciting so much chaos requires organization. We should use our limited time to prepare.”

“Huh. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m with Sy— Sa— I’m with Vaswani,” Lúcio decides. Un poco mejor, but it feels like negotiation’s getting off track. “I’ve been working with some of the neighborhoods, doing what we can to get Vishkar out of our lives, but it’s still pretty small scale stuff. There’s not much we can do considering Vishkar’s convinced the mayor, hey! It’d be a great idea to let the giant corporation with no morals be in charge of software for all the trains in Rio!”

“I can get to an access point that should allow us to replace that software.” Satya uploads a blueprint, something she must’ve been storing on her arm. “Infiltration would be a simple task, considering my proficiency with hard light. Of course, I am certain that Vishkar would pressure the mayor to shut down the entire system, but I am also certain that Sombra would be able to create something that could override such an attempt. This would at least provide more time to sort out logistics for a replacement should Vishkar be completely expelled from Rio.”

“Hang on, who’s going to hack what? I don’t remember volunteering for extra credit!” ¡Sale más caro el caldo que las albóndigas!

Lúcio laughs, sounding impressed despite himself. “You know what they say about new brooms.”[]

“I know what _I_ say about new brooms, I don’t know what _you_ say.”[]

“Listen,” he continues, completely ignoring Sombra. “If you guys get the trains sorted out, I’ll be your decoy.”

“Don’t make it sound like you’re doing me a favor. You’re already getting the recording, this is something you’re going to owe me for!”

“Actually? Pretty sure I owe Vaswani. Pleasure doing business with you,” Lúcio says, hanging up before Sombra can offer any retort.

She glares at Satya.

“It sounds like you have work to do,” Satya says, very definitely smug about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> miras los dientes - look at the teeth, from a caballo regalado no se le mira el diente/when given a horse don't look at its teeth
> 
> fresa - strawberry, slang for snobbish/high class type of vibe
> 
> no le saques - pulled from sombra's voiceline, but lucio's interpreting it as the Portuguese saquei/I understand
> 
> Órale - you know how 'sick' can mean a bunch of different things, good or bad, depending on the situation? it's like that. I think a better example would be 'yabai' but I don't think we have an english equivalent quite that versatile.
> 
> Sale más caro el caldo que las albóndigas - The broth is more expensive than the meatballs; another equivalent would be spending more on the collar than the dog, basically going in to get one thing and paying more for side extra stuff
> 
> Vassoura nova varre sempre bem/escoba nueva barre bien - new brooms sweep clean, newcomers are the most ambitious 
> 
> I gotta say. it's pretty wild making translation decisions based on clarity & flow when you. don't actually speak the language.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while I was planning this out, sometime around 3 am I put down the notebook & was like 'ok I need to go to sleep' but then not ten seconds later I _leapt_ out of bed from sheer adrenaline after thinking of something that happens in this chapter
> 
> thanks molly & liz for the once-over, thanks helios' friend for answering more questions about spanish!

Well, it’s extra work, and it’s more work than sitting on a recording, but it’s not actually that much work. For someone with Sombra’s expertise, making something that can mess with software is child’s play, ella hace lo que el viento a Juárez. But it’s the principle of the thing! If Lúcio’s going to owe Satya, then Satya can handle the rest of it.

Of course, she’s not just going to abandon Satya; it’d be even more trouble if the plan failed. She’s just going to chill out and hack everything from the comfort of satellite workshop #134, looping all the footage in the security feed and keeping an eye on the cameras. She’s got a front row seat to just how easy it is for Satya to waltz into anywhere with an abundance of hard light.

It’s pretty interesting to watch. Sombra can strong-arm her way through hard light when push comes to shove (as long as she has the right tools) (and the light source) but compared to how Satya effortlessly weaves it around her, almost like a dance, there’s just no contest. And it’s not only that, Satya seems… different when she’s in her element. More relaxed. Ay, amores no pueden estar secretos ¿no?

“I have arrived,” Satya announces. Not that she needs to— sure, Sombra’s chilling out, but she’s still on lookout duty.

“Alright, just pop off the panel on the side and stick the chip in the blue slot.”

“...They are all blue.”

“Yep! Doesn’t matter which one you put it in. But do it fast, looks like someone’s headed your way.”

Satya freezes, hand hovering above the exact center of the access point. “Who,” she says, more a demand than a question.

“Korpal. Your ex-boss, yeah?”

“Something like that.” Satya inserts the chip, the motion stiff and awkward, and turns towards the door.

“Uh, he’s getting pretty close y’know—”

“Let him come,” she bites out. Apparently Sombra’s getting a show tonight.

When Sanjay does step through the door, the atmosphere’s pretty tense. He stares for a long moment. Then, “I thought it might be you.”

“You lied to me,” Satya shoots back. She’s just diving right into it, huh.

“Be reasonable, Satya,” Sanjay chides, shaking his head like he’s talking to a kid or something. “Everything we do is for the sake of a better world; you’ve dedicated your life’s work to it. Are you going to throw away your place in that world?”

“The place I have is that of a puppet.”

“You belong with us.”

“I _don’t_ ,” Satya snaps. “I don’t belong with people who promise a better world but would deny a better life! That’s what we were supposed to give people, a better _life—_ ” She lets out a harsh breath, drawing back her fire and fury. Still, her glare cuts to the heart. “That is not your goal. It never was. My greatest regret is that it took so long for me to realize.”

“Do you think you’re welcome anywhere but Vishkar?” Sanjay says, a mild edge to his tone as he changes tactics. “Do you think you could do anything without Vishkar? We made you, Satya. Without us you’d be nothing.”

“It doesn’t matter. I won’t return. I never will.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Pretty sure he’s going to shoot you,” Sombra says, and Satya throws up a shield right as he tries to. “As fun as this has been, you really should get going. Oh, hang on—” There’s a turret by the camera, just at the perfect angle to shoot the gun out of Sanjay’s hand. And shoot Sanjay’s hand for good measure. He was obviously reaching for some kind of panic button. “But seriously, leave. I’m not sticking my neck out for you if your little speech ends up screwing you over.”

“I’m leaving.” Satya swipes at the wall— which just disappears— jumping from the fourteenth floor and into the night. Every step she takes lands on a hard light platform, one that disappears the second it’s no longer needed.

“Vishkar’s not gonna let that slide,” Sombra says. Not that it’s any of her business; she’s just an observer.

“It had to be done,” Satya says.

 

* * *

 

Vishkar doesn’t let it slide. Not even a day later the newspapers are full of headlines like SATYA VASWANI: ARCHITECT OR ANARCHIST? Which is pretty tacky. It’s filled with vague hints of corporate subterfuge missions Satya’s been sent on, but basically all the detail is scrubbed out to make it look like she’s acting alone. Of course, Vishkar immediately released a statement of shock, along with a promise to suspend Ms. Vaswani and place her under immediate investigation. People are going pretty wild; Satya’s not a celebrity per se, but she’s a big name in her field and everyone’s eager to talk some kind of shit.

Some are even speculating it’s a Sombra leak.

“¿Es en serio?” she mutters to herself, skimming through the threads. “As if I’d be this sloppy.” Calling it a leak would be too generous, it’s a drip at best; there’s barely any information, just some blurred photos and heavy conjecture. Plus some pretty blatant bigotry on several fronts.

Satya stares at the headlines with an unreadable expression.

“You know I had nothing to do with this, right?” Sombra asks. It’s a rhetorical question, doesn’t even need to be answered. It wouldn’t make any sense. But then again, she’s technically in with Talon, and by extension, Vishkar, even if she’s also working against Vishkar, so even if it doesn’t make sense there’s definitely a chance Satya might _think_ it’d make sense—

“I know.”

“Oh,” Sombra says. “You know?”

“I know.” Satya turns that unreadable stare towards Sombra. It’s weirdly intense, and Sombra’s… not nervous, she doesn’t _get_ nervous, but usually she’s the one doing the assessing, not the one being assessed. “You wouldn’t betray me like this.”

“...That kind of trust is what got you in trouble with Vishkar.” Seriously, it’s like she’s learned nothing. Sombra shakes her head, turning back to her screen. There’s not a lot she can do that’ll actually help much, not unless she goes _big_ , and that’s more trouble than it’s worth. But even though Satya’s name has been thoroughly dragged through the mud, she can at least wipe out the most unflattering articles. Might as well add a few missing details to stir the pot. Not everything; just enough to make it less cut and dry than Vishkar’s paid for.

“Nothing written is a lie.” Satya trails a finger down her screen, tracing a pretty vicious attack on her moral character. “In any case, I suspected this would happen. I would not have intercepted you if I wasn’t prepared for the consequences.”

“Wait,” Sombra says, “you what?”

“I have a certain sensitivity to hard light most others lack,” Satya explains. “The feeling of it changes when it is being manipulated, depending on how it is being manipulated. It ripples throughout the building. And the work was clearly not that of an architect. I realized I had an opportunity to clear or confirm my doubts once and for all.”

The hallway! The wall! All this time! She thought she was the cat and Satya was the mouse! ¡Ella era el ratón! _¡ El ratón era ella! _

“You tricked me,” Sombra says, extremely impressed.

“I did not. However, gaining your cooperation was easier than expected, given your reputation.”

“Huy. Viejo el mar y todavía hace olas.”

Satya raises an eyebrow.

“Respect your elders,” Sombra says.

“You are not an elder.”

“I’m older than you,” she shoots back, and relishes the dawning confusion, realization, and shock that flickers across Satya’s face.

Then, Satya laughs. It’s soft, subdued, and the first time she’s looked anywhere near relaxed, maybe even happy. Seeing it is kind of… it’s like… un destello de luz solar.

“Were you afraid?” she asks.

Sombra starts, jarred by the unprompted and pretty weird question. “¿Eh?”

“That I wouldn’t trust you.”

“What? No. You better not,” Sombra says. It’s a good recovery. A great recovery. “Come on, Satya, you’re smarter than that.”

It doesn’t take any effort to look back at her screen. And sure, she can tell Satya’s attention lingers a little, but it’s whatever, she’s got stuff to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a bit the second scene vaguely in my head since [uhhhhh 2017](https://obstinaterixatrix.tumblr.com/post/161812212099/) so it's nice that it's finally exorcised. 
> 
> me hace lo que el viento a Juárez - mexican saying that literally translates to like, does to me what the wind does to Juárez, and I just took that from sombra's quote page
> 
> Ay, amores no pueden estar secretos ¿no? - technically it's loves, plural, but love flows better in english I think. cannibalized from amores, dolores y dineros, no pueden estar secretos/love, pain, and money can't be kept secret
> 
> un destello de luz solar - I fussed with this by coming up with 'a glance of sunlight' & running it through google translate and then checking what comes up on google and from that search it seems like it's more of a 'flash' vibe and then I asked helios' friend because I'm not equipped to write prose in spanish 
> 
> what's kind of funny is one of my non-overwatch friends is reading this & we're going nuts over sym/bra together love it


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to liz for the once-over & helios' friend for checking the spanish! if you're mexican and you read something in this that made your soul shrivel up because of how awkward or inaccurate it came across, please, [send me a message on tumblr](https://obstinaterixatrix.tumblr.com/ask), let me, fix it, and save a little face,

Everything goes without a hitch. Satya sneaks Lúcio in, he causes a ruckus on live TV, and right when things reach a boiling point, while Machado’s on a tirade about what _gall_ this _thief_ has to throw such _baseless_ _accusations_ at _upstanding members_ of the _community_ , his own voice plays over the speakers to confirm, yep, he sure is going to pay a shady terrorist group to bomb a few streets.

Several times Vishkar employees try to cut the live feed to dead air, but for some reason, they just can’t do it.

Machado’s toast. Maybe Lúcio will finally chase Vishkar out of Rio, maybe he won’t, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that in order to fix this mess, Vishkar’s got to bring in someone extremely competent to replace Machado, someone that knows what’s on the chessboard and how to move the pieces. Oh, they might be tough to work around, but hey, perro que no camina, no encuentra hueso.

As a bonus, the latest scandal is way bigger news than the smear campaign against Satya. Still not a good idea for her to just walk around in public, so she’s gotten some nondescript clothes and some pretty standard accessories: hat, shawl, contacts, disruptors that make it impossible to get a clear picture of her, that kind of stuff. Mostly low-tech, but that’s what makes a disguise reliable.

“So,” Sombra says, “you satisfied?” And, admittedly, she’s been wrong about Satya before— consistently wrong, which is pretty embarrassing— but now she’s sure she knows what the answer’s going to be.

“No.” Of course. “Not until the entirety of the Vishkar Corporation is dismantled. I will atone for my part in their schemes.” And even though it’s an ambitious goal, Satya sounds so matter-of-fact. Oh, no big deal, she’s just going to dedicate her life to taking down an international mega-corporation with ties to a global conspiracy. But she doesn’t know about that last part yet.

“Good luck. You’re going to need it.” And, with a playful smirk, “If you can bear to work with a criminal again— well, you won’t know where to find me, but I’ll know where to find you.”

She doesn’t rise to the bait. Instead, Satya fixes Sombra with a contemplative stare (which, honestly, she might be getting used to). “I believe you are better than you say you are,” she says, “but I also believe someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

Sombra laughs, surprised once again. “Just what makes you think you can tell me what to do?”

“I wonder.” It comes out soft, secretive, knowing, a tone of promise that could pierce the heart— uh, no, that’s not right. Promise? Pierce what? No, hang on, this kind of sentimental nonsense isn’t her style—

Satya takes Sombra’s hand and Sombra watches, su corazón alto sobre las nubes, as that hand is brought to Satya’s lips.

¿Eh?

¿Que?

“While perhaps it hadn’t been your intent, you’ve done me a great service. It’s one I won’t soon forget.”

“Yeah,” Sombra manages to say, despite a mind completely blank. “You owe me.”

“I do.” She doesn’t sound bothered at all by the thought. “We will meet again, I’m sure.”

She walks away. All Sombra can do is watch as she leaves the building, disappears into the city, blends into the crowd.

¿Ha…?

_¿¡ Ha sido seducida!? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to mention but the train software scenario is somewhat inspired by the stuff with how john deere tractors deny right to repair, which is pretty messed up. look into right to repair stuff, it’s pretty interesting but also pretty terrible. and it was about trains because I love good public transportation and I really wish america had good trains
> 
> I got 'su corazón alto sobre las nubes' by checking out if 'heart in her throat' was a viable phrase to use in spanish, only finding medical references for it, looking up forum posts about if 'butterflies in your stomach' had a spanish equivalent & finding a guy who said he'd use 'estoy como en una nubre cuando estoy contigo', then somehow stumbling on the phrase 'nuestros corazones estan planeando muy alto sobre las nubes' on reverso, then cannibalizing that, then asking helios to ask her friend to check if the grammar was right (which is a good thing because I was missing a word)
> 
> anyway everything in this fic has been building up to sombra going like I'VE BEEN SEDUCED??????????? 
> 
> [if anyone wants to see the first outline in full it's been posted](https://or-archive.tumblr.com/post/185530662434/). started it on june 1. happy pride month
> 
> I put my heart and soul into conspiracy boarding the emotional trajectory of this fic, hope you guys enjoyed it???????????????????


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